Clothes-retaining rack



May 5, 1925. I v 1,536,993

1 A. .W. WlNSHlP CLOTHES RETAINING RACK F iled Aug. 28, 1924' Quorum:

a reference numerals marked thereon which Patented May 5, 1925.

. UNITED STATESFPATENT oFF cE.

ALBERT w. wrnsnrr, or UTICA, NEW Yonrr, ASSIGNOR r w. w. wrnsrrrr e sons,

INC., or UTIGA, nnw YORK, A ooaronarronorlorrrnsnnrnrnrivs neck.

Application filed August '28, 1924. Serial No. reams.

To all whom itmag concern "Be it known that I ALBERT W. VVINSHIP, a citizen of the United States, and aresident ofUtica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Clothes- Retaining Racks; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto the form part of this. specification. g

My present inventionrelates' to clothes retaining racks as applied more particularly to wardrobe trunks. o

The purpose of my invention is to provide a clothes retaining rackof, new and improved construction and of such form that it may be applied to a variety of places.

A further purpose is to provide an article of the class described which is so constructed as to automatically hold itself in .place upon slideways where placed and yet be readily adjustable or entirely removed by a simple motion. y"

-Another object is to provide a clothes retaining rack which is especially well adapted to hold itself in place. againstthe shocks and vibrations incident tohandling a trunk. Fig. 1 is apersp'ective view of a. clothes retaining rack embodying my invention with sufiicient of a wardrobe trunk shown to illustrate the use of the rack. I

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the left hand slideway 13 andits rack supporting clutch and adjacent parts of the structure. Fig. is a side, View of the right hand racl supporting clutch; spring and slideway as seen from the right hand side thereof, the hook of the clutch being cut away to more clearly show the co-operation of the parts. While I have illustrated and'describcd my invention in connection with a wardrobe trunk it will be obvious that the invention is not limited to use simply with a wardrobe a trunk but may be applied totrunks and sam ple cases where clothes are carried in a more or less extended 7 position and indeed the invention may be applied to clothes presses or cupboards where itis desired to hold the clothes in position. p

In the drawings I have illustrated my invention in connection with a Wardrobe trunk having clothes hangers 8 slidingly suspended from supports 9 attached to the opposite sides 10 of the wardrobe compartment, said wardrobe compartment having an open front closed by a door 11 and generally having an open top closed by a top cover 12.

A little below the supports 9 there is supported from each side wall a slideway 13 preferably. rectangular in vertical cross section as indicated in the drawings and rigidly supported in horizontal position a short distance from the side wall by means of a bracket 1 1. The part of the bracket adja cent the slideway is narrower than the height of the slideway 13 thus leaving a portion of the side 15 of the slideway facingadjacent trunk side clear for the passage of the outwardly and downwardly turned point 16 of the rack clutch 17.

"The clothes retaining rack consists of a pair of depending [side members 18 connected neartheirupper ends .by top cross piece 19 and near their lower ends by a bottom cross piece 20.

To each upper corner of the clothes re taining rack is rigidly secured the rack supporting clutch 17. This clutch comprises a long depending shank portion 21 fitting against the outer surfaces of the side 1ne1n hers 18 of the rack, said shank portion extending from thdtop of the side member down a"considerabledistance on the rack andrigidly secured to the side member of the rack as by screws 22. At the top of the rack the strip of metal from which. the clutch is preferably formed is bent back sharply over the top of the side members the height of the slideway 13. Beyond the upright 25 the clutch again extends outwardly forming a top portion 26 extending over the top of the slideway 13 and beyond this top 26 the metal is again turned'down forming the part 16 already mentioned which engages the side 15 of the slideway 13 adjacent the trunk side and above the narrower portion of the bracket 14:.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that each clutch 17 is securelymou'nted upon its slideway and particularlyjthat the top face 24 of the portion 23 of the clutch engages substantially the entire width ot the bottom edge ot the slideway and that the upstanding portion 25 ot the clutch extends along the entire exposed side of the slideway 13 and is the side of the slideway towards the clothes and that the top covers the top edge of the slideway and that the downwardly extending projection '16 engages the inner surface 15 ot the slideway.

in Fig. l and plainly shown in o the slideway engaging opening ot t clutch between the top surface 24: of portion 2?) and the lower portion of the bottom 26 is a little greater in height than he height of the slidcway 13 and is disposed at little less than a right angle to the general plane (it the rack and slopes downwardly and toward the inner side of the l'i cl; so that the bottom edge 2? or the top 526 and the outer edge Q8 of the face tends to come into binding contact with the top and bottom edges respecti ely ot the slideway 153 as the rack tends to dro to vertical position. It will now be seen that as long as these edges are sharply brought into this binding engagement by the rack being swung outwardly upon its clutches to vertical position the rack will be held tightly in the position where placed. Under some circumstance the thiclress ot the bull: of the clothes pressed, back of the rack will be sui'iicient to hold the rack in such binding position. Under many circumstances, howerer, it is not desired to press the clothes tightly enough by the rack to give the rack the desired tension and under other circumstances a teinporary jolt or violent movement of: the trunk will temporarily swing the bottom of the clothes rack inwardly enougig'h to temporarily release the binding engagement of the clothes and allow the racl: to be push d or morcd bodily outward upon the slideways.

In order to overcome these dil'liculties I have provided in combination with the parts heretofore described a pair of springs 29 which will constantly but yieldingly hold the rack in position to have its clutches iii'u'ily engage the slideways.

Each oi the springs 99 has its ilat lower halt Ell rest directly against the bottom side ot either of the rack uprights 1S and permanently secured thereto as by bolts 31. The upper halt oil: said, springs extends upwardly and curves inwardly and has its upper end 32 engaging the lower et go of the sideway 13. 'lhe tension ot these two springs is sullicient to swing the rack outwardly upon its clutches until the clutches sharply engage the slis'leways and thus the rack is securely held in place.

il hcn it is desired to loosen the rack or draw it outward the bottom of the rack is pushed inwardly overcoming the tension or the springs 29 and allowing the rack to be moved inwardly or outwardly or entirely withdrawn trom the slideways.

lVith a clothes retaining rack embodying my inrention it will be seen that the clothes may be securely held in position in the war hobe wi rout ha ing to press the clothes so tightly as to crease or disligure the. The constant pressure ot the springs upon the reel: is su'liicicn't to hold the racl: in place against jolts or shocks when the trunk is being moved.

TYhat l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. 'lhe combination with a wardrobe trunk of a pair of horizontally arranged slideways spaced from the inner sides oi the trunk, a clothes retainiire; rack, clutches secured to the raclt and slidingly mounted on said slideways, said clutches being adapted to bindingly engage the slideways when the bottom of the rack is swung outwardly relative to its top, and sgrings n' ounted on said rack tensioned to swing its bottom outwardly.

2. The con'ibination with a wardrobe trunk of a pair o't horizontally arranged slidcways spaced from the inner sides of the trunln a clothes retaining rack, clutches secured to the rack and slidingly mounted on said slideways, said clutches being adapted to bindingly engage the slideways when the bottom of the rack is swung outwardly relative to its top and leaf springs mounted on said ra 'l with their upper inner ends engaging said slideways and tensioued to swing its bottom outwardly.

3. The combination with a clothes coinpartment of a pair oi horizontally arranged slidcways spaced from the inner sides of the compartment, a clot ies retaining rack, clutches secured to the raclt and slidingly mounted on said slideways, said clutches being adapted to biudingly engage the slideways when the bottom of the rack is swung outwardly relative to its top and springs mounted on said rack tensioned to swing its bottom outwardly.

In witness whereof I have allixcd my signature, this 29th day ot July 1921-.

ALBERT W. WINS ill. 

